Vanished
by Laura7
Summary: Maria vanishes mysteriously and the gang has to find her.


Title: Vanished  
  
Author: Laura  
  
Email: Sweettarts26@hotmail.com  
  
Rating: PG. 13 Whoops...there's some language in there...  
  
Disclaimer: No, I don't own um. Wish I did. But that's not gonna happen...  
  
Category: M & M  
  
Summary: Maria vanishes mysteriously and the gang has to find her.  
  
Feedback: Oh please give me feedback! I got feedback for my last story and I got so excited. It's cause of that that I'm writings this ficcie. Please send me the good, bad, and the ugly. I wanna know if this story sucks. *g*  
  
Author's Note: I'm thinkin that this story takes place after Crazy. Cause I didn't want to deal with that whole destiny mess...that is such an evil word btw. And I think that most of my plotted stories are going to involve dreams *g*. hehe. Dedication: To my twin sis Courtney for giving me one little suggestion. *g* You may think you didn't do much but this story could not have been written with out ya babe. And to my other Roswellian sis Annie for giving me the idea for the song in here. hehe. To my Roswellian sis Nicole (I sure do have lots of sisters..) for reading it before I posted it. I guess I should thank you too Kim for falling asleep on me when I slept over cause that's when I thought of this story..hehe. And last but not least, to those who sent me feedback before.   
  
***  
  
  
Michael Guerin found himself in a dark strange place. A very weird place. And it was cold. Damn cold. This was the darkest place he had ever been in. He couldn't even see where he was going.  
  
"Where the hell am I?" Michael said stumbling around in the dark, trying to feel the walls for something familiar. Michael didn't know where he was. But for some reason, he had this overpowering feeling of loneliness. And he was afraid. That feeling was coming over him now too. No, he wasn't just afraid, he was petrified. Michael was oblivious as to what was going on and why he was getting these feelings. Suddenly, Michael heard someone crying. He moved towards the sound of someone sobbing.  
  
"Hello? Is someone there?" Michael continued to try to find the person but he couldn't find them.  
  
"Who's there?? Leave me alone! What do you want from me? I told you I don't know anything! Go away!" Michael was startled when the illusive person finally spoke. But he still couldn't find them in the blackened room. Was that who he thought it was? No, it couldn't be. She was always so strong and brave. But there was a terror in her voice...one that made a chill go up his spine. He did not like to see Maria this way. Those feelings must be coming from her he decided.  
  
"Maria? Is that you? It's Michael. Where are you I can't see anything."  
  
"Michael?? Is that really you??" Michael finally found her. Well, actually he bumped into her literally.  
  
"Of coarse it's me. What's going on?" Michael looked into her eyes and saw the scared lost eyes that replaced Maria's beautiful ones. There was that terror again. She was petrified of something. That was for sure.  
  
"No! I don't believe it!" She said as she pulled away. "I told you! Don't use his face! Get away from me!!" Michael ran and grabbed her arm, not letting her get away.  
  
"Maria, it's me. Look into my eyes. I'm the same dorkbutt I've always been." Maria looked into his eyes. A flash of hope then flickered into them.  
  
"Oh, it is you! He pretended to be you before but it's really you!" she said hugging him. "Michael I'm so afraid. So lost in this dark terrible place. What if he comes back?" she said holding onto him tighter. She was shaking slightly.  
  
"It'll be ok. You'll see. I won't let anything happen to you. What if who comes back? What's going on Maria?" Michael said right before he was thrown across the room.  
  
"Michael!" Michael got off the floor but got sent back down when someone's fist punched him hard in his stomach. "No! Stay away from him!" Maria said while hitting the mysterious man, only to be thrown onto the ground herself and kicked in the stomach. Michael suddenly felt a sense of rage overcome him.  
  
"NO! Leave her alone you bastard!" Michael said while getting up and charging towards the mysterious man. But just as quickly as before, he was thrown to the ground. He turned to Michael on the ground and said.  
  
"I'll only tell you this once. She's mine! There's nothing you can do to save her now!" The mysterious man yelled. But before Michael could react, he felt himself leaving this strange place suddenly. But before he left, he heard Maria call out his name, one last time.  
  
Michael looked around and realized that he was in his bed. He looked at the clock and saw that it was 4:30. It was still dark out so it had to be morning he figured. But it was all a dream, wasn't it?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Michael hadn't been able to go back asleep after that dream. Who could sleep after the love of your life was being hurt and was desperately afraid in your dreams? He couldn't forget the look in her eyes...She was so scared. Michael made sure to be at school early today. That was for sure. He had to find Maria right away. So, it was probably a dream and he was probably totally over reacting, but still. He wouldn't feel better until he knew that Maria was safe. He looked all over the quad.  
  
"Damn!" He said to himself. "Where is she??" She's probably with Liz or Alex he figured. Michael quickly ran to Maria's locker first. Nope. No sign of her there. Michael then ran to Liz's locker. Not there either. Michael started to run down the hall towards Alex's locker but he ran into someone in the hall. Practically knocked them both onto the ground.  
  
"Michael, is something wrong?" It was Max he ran into.  
  
"Uh..nothing Maxwell. Have you seen Maria?? Or Liz??"  
  
"No, not yet. Why do you want to see them so badly?" Max said suspiciously.  
  
"Uh..nothing! Just tell them that I'm looking for them if you see them." Michael said right before he continued to run down the hall. Isabel and Max traded looks.  
  
"Ok, he didn't even notice that I was here. He's acting weirder than usual...something must be up." Isabel said.  
  
"Obviously."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Michael hadn't found Maria yet. And it was driving him insane. He couldn't find Liz or Alex either. Well, it was only first period. But he should have been able to find them by now. He asked around and no one had seen Maria. This did not make him feel any better. But Liz was in school today. He found himself counting the seconds for when the bell would ring. Eventually, it did ring and Michael was the first one out the door. He ran his way to Liz's locker again. Michael just stood there, waiting for her to come.  
  
"Hey Michael." Liz saw how uneasy he looked. "Are you ok?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine. But Liz, do you know where Maria is?? I really need to find her..."  
  
"I haven't seen her all day. Maybe she's at home sick. Why? Is something going on?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe. But I'll talk to you guys later. I'm going to go check out her house.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Michael ran all the way to Maria's house in probably about 3 minutes. The Jetta was gone but maybe her mom had the car. He decided to go through her window instead of the front door. Besides, it was his trademark entrance. Michael was about to use his powers to open the window but he noticed it was already unlocked. 'Hmm..that's strange' he thought. Michael climbed through the window into Maria's room. And what he saw didn't make him feel better at all.  
  
Gone.  
  
Maria was gone. Her bed was a mess with her sheets all tangled up. Either Maria was a light sleeper, or something had happened here. Michael quickly checked out the rest of the house. No one was there. Nothing was out of the ordinary, except possibly her bed. Michael went to Maria's bedroom and quickly called Liz on her cell phone.  
  
"Come on...pick up.." While waiting for Liz to pick up the phone, Michael picked up a picture of Alex, Liz, and Maria. Michael stared at Maria's picture. She looked so much different than in the dream. She looked like herself in the picture. Happy. His happy pixie girl.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Liz. It's Michael tell everyone that we have to talk and that we should all meet at the quarry. I'm on my way back to school to get a ride with you guys."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
"Wow. That's some dream." Alex said. They all drove up in Max's Jeep to talk at the quarry. Like Michael said. It was the only safe place where they could talk. They all had just heard Michael describe his dream.  
  
"What Michael, do you think something actually happened to Maria?" Liz said worriedly.  
  
"I don't know guys. But something isn't right. I mean, she isn't at home, she isn't at school. She isn't anywhere. It's like she just vanished." Michael said while throwing rock into the gorge. "And I can't forget her face from the dream..." They all stood in silence for a little bit. It had always been the six of them against the world. Now, someone they all cared about was missing in action. "I think someone kidnapped Maria."  
  
"But who would want to kidnap Maria?" Isabel said.  
  
"Well, someone has her Isabel. That's all I know."  
  
"Do you remember what he looked like?"  
  
"I don't know Max. I couldn't see his face. It was to dark..."  
  
"I mean, if someone does have Maria, why would Michael get a dream about it? How could that happen?" Alex said.  
  
"Who knows how Michael uses his powers. Maybe he made a bond with her or something. A connection." Isabel said.  
  
"How could he do that?" Liz asked.  
  
"Maybe when we were getting those flashes of that orb. Michael did you see anything when you were...with Maria?" Max said. Michael sighed.  
  
"Yeah, I saw things from her life." Michael wasn't about to go into detail about what he saw. That was personal.  
  
"Max, what are we going to do? Someone may really have Maria."  
  
"It'll be ok Liz. We'll figure this out."  
  
"What if the FBI has her? What are we gonna do? Remember Topolsky was talking about how we're all on some list and that guy named Pierce was after us?" Alex said while starting to get really worried.  
  
"But why would they want Maria? They'd pick us up first. Or us all at once..." Isabel said while getting worried also.  
  
"We need to calm down guys. We don't know anything yet."  
  
"You want me to calm down? Someone out there, has someone that I love and they're hurting her! And she's scared! And you know what Max, that's another reason why I'm so worried, because we don't know anything!" Michael said while everyone else just looked at him speechless. Had he said what he thought he just said? Aloud, in front of everyone? Michael started to look down at the ground.  
  
"But her mom's out of town. She left for some convention thing. Maybe Maria went with her..." Liz said hopefully.  
  
"Liz, I doubt that. Her bed was all messed up and her window was unlocked. And how would that explain my dream?"  
  
"But it was a dream. Maybe it was all your imagination..."  
  
"No, Max! It wasn't just a dream! I've dreamt some pretty shitty things but none of them were ever like this." They stood there quiet for some time again. Thinking about what was happening to Maria.  
  
"Ok. Let's try to think this through. Who else would want to capture Maria?" Max asked. They all stood there again thinking about the seemingly easy question.  
  
"Nasedo." They all turned and looked at Liz. "Nasedo could have her."  
  
"Do you realize what that means?" Isabel said getting more worried by the minute.  
  
"Do you realize what he'd do to her?"  
  
"What do you mean Alex?"  
  
"What I mean, Liz, is that Nasedo isn't exactly well known for his love for humans. He could really hurt her..."  
  
"Why would he do that?" Isabel said. It seemed to Michael that they were all beating around the bush.  
  
"Because she knows the secret Isabel. He probably never wanted any humans to find out. Figured they couldn't be trusted." Michael's words sunk into everyone standing there at the quarry. Maria could be really hurt. Maria could be dead soon if not already. The three aliens turned to look at Alex and Liz. He could be after Alex and Liz next. They didn't have to say anything. They all knew they were thinking the same thing.  
  
"Alex. Liz. Never be alone. Do you hear me? Nasedo could be anyone. We have to trust each other more than ever now."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Alex and Liz had spent the majority of the rest of the day at the Crashdown. With their alien bodyguards of coarse. Liz had to work the night shift and Alex hung out in a booth with Max, Michael and Isabel. They were all worried and stressed out, especially Michael, but they were trying to relax and tell themselves that they were getting worked up over nothing. But if Liz or Alex wanted to go anywhere, they weren't allowed to go. Max and Isabel wouldn't let them. Michael however, was more...distracted. He would sit there with this worried lonesome look on his face. You could tell what he was thinking about.  
  
Liz and Alex were starting to feel claustrophobic around Max and Isabel. They insisted that they stay at the Crashdown where it's a public place. But Alex and Liz were starting to feel like they were held prisoners in the cafe. Liz was thankful to be working for once. You don't know how nerve racking it can be to just sit there and think about your missing friend. Max though, would insist on going with Liz if she wanted to go in the backroom and get something.  
  
"Max, I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me."  
  
"But, what if he's back there? I don't want anything to happen to you Liz. I care about you to much." Max said sweetly. So, Max would join Liz on her journey to the backroom or anywhere else that wasn't in his eye sight. Isabel and Alex would talk and Alex would try to make jokes to entertain Isabel. But Michael...  
  
Michael would call Maria's house every 5 minutes. Hoping that she would come home safe and tell them where she really was. And then he would be able to relax. To know that he was getting worked up over nothing. But not until then. All he could think of was Maria. After awhile Liz just gave him this look and he stopped asking and just went towards the phone.  
  
Time passed, and the crowds began to leave and it was just them at the Crashdown. Alex was trying to keep himself entertained by listening to the radio.  
  
"Your listening to KROZ. And it's about 11:05 here in Roswell. Now to play some more tunes."  
  
"Oh! I love this song!" Alex said while turning up the radio. Then he started to sing along. "Cause I'm just a teenage dirtbag baby!" Isabel started to laugh at him.  
  
"How could he act so weird at a time like this?" Max asked to Liz.  
  
"Alex, is really worried about Maria. I know he is. I think he's just is trying to be brave and not show his emotions about how worried he is. Cause then he'll know I'll lose it. He's trying to make me feel better by being strong. He always does this. He's my 'fun support' I guess you could say."  
  
"Max I think we should get going. Mom doesn't want us staying out to late."  
  
"Ok Is. Now you guys remember the plan. Right?" Alex stopped singing and turned down the radio.  
  
"Max it's not that complicated. I'm looking out for Liz when she closes up and I'm sleeping over at Liz's tonight so I'm safe."  
  
"Ok. Liz. Remember. Never be alone ok?" Max said sweetly.  
  
"Max, I'll be fine. I'm safe here. Remember?" They said their good-byes and started to walk out of the Crashdown. Then Max turned around, and saw Michael hanging up the phone slowly with a disappointed look on his face. He still was calling her house every 5 minutes. Max and Isabel exchanged looks and both felt terrible for Michael. He had barely said anything the entire night. They couldn't imagine how bad he must feel right now.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
"Ok. So it's just you and me babe. What are we up for tonight?"  
  
"Alex why are you acting so happy? Your doing it a bit much. More than usual."  
  
"I'm just trying to cheer you up. Now granted, this is not really the time to be having a blast but you gotta keep your mind on something and try to have somewhat fun. Liz, I'm worried sick. You know I am. I'm just trying to help you keep your mind off of it for awhile. Do you know what I mean?"  
  
"Yes I do. I just am worried about Maria that's all."  
  
"I know. I know. Alex switching into comfort mode now. It's gonna be ok Liz. You'll see." Alex said while hugging Liz.  
  
"Thanks Alex. Your a good friend."  
  
"I know. I have the perfect idea. Let's go rent a movie. Preferably a chick flick. And don't worry, I won't complain. I've been trained well."  
  
"But Max said we shouldn't go out."  
  
"It's right down the street. And he said we shouldn't go alone. Besides, I'm the A-man. I'll protect you. You'd be surprised how much muscle you build when playing dodge ball." Alex said while doing his famous double thumbs up. Liz started laughing.  
"You know, maybe that's not a bad idea after all. That felt good to laugh. I haven't done it in a long time..."  
  
"Ok, then it's settled. Go change and we'll go."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
"So, what movie do you want to rent? Chick flick or comedy?" Alex asked Liz as they casually walked to the video store.  
  
"Hmm..I don't know. It's up to you. Are you sure it's safe for us to be out here? I mean it is pretty dark out..."  
  
"Liz, we'll be fine. Besides Max said that we shouldn't be alone tonight. We're not alone. We have each other. I thought we already went through this."  
  
"I know. I know. I'm just worried you know? I mean, all of these things have been happening so fast. And not to long ago, Topolsky had us all freaked out about the FBI."  
  
"Liz, we've been through a lot. And your right. But I think we deserve a slight break. Your going to have a melt down if you don't stop thinking about it."  
  
"Ok. Your right. So I was thinking that maybe we should rent a comedy instead. I could use a good laugh. And I already have enough soap opera drama in my life with Max so I can pass on the chick flick." Alex and Liz started laughing together. But in the midst of their laughing, Liz could have sworn she heard a noise.  
  
"Did you hear that?"  
  
"Liz, now your paranoia schizophrenia is kicking in."  
  
"Alex, I could have sworn a heard someone. Like breathing or something." Liz said while looking up and down the street. But to only see the trees rustling in the wind.  
  
"It must have been the wind then. Come on. We're almost there." Alex said while holding her hand. "I won't let anything happen to you anyways." Suddenly Liz was grabbed from behind and pulled into a nearby alley. "LIZ!" Alex ran into the alley. He couldn't see Liz's attacker though. It was to dark. He could barely see Liz. But Liz was putting up a good fight. The man tried to pull her down further into the alley but she wouldn't let him. Alex started to charge the attacker in the midst of Liz struggling for her freedom. But to Alex's surprise, he was thrown into the wall and knocked over a few garbage cans in the alley. Alex, groaned in pain from his impact.  
  
"What the hell?" He didn't even touch him and yet he knocked him into the wall. Alex saw Liz kicking and trying to scream but the man had her mouth covered up. Alex had to save Liz before she disappeared like Maria too. But Liz was doing a pretty good job. The man was having a hard time keeping her under control. The man was now starting to pull her farther down the alley, despite Liz's fighting. Alex saw a metal trash can lid from a spilled garbage can that fell on the ground with him when he was thrown into the wall. Alex rose from the ground picked up the lid and hit the man in the head. It wasn't a hard enough blow to knock the man out, but it was enough for him to loosen his grasp of Liz. Liz took the opportunity and kicked the man and ran. She quickly grabbed Alex's hand and started sprinting away. Alex turned and looked down the alley almost immediately and the man was already gone.  
  
"Alex! Don't look back! We've got to get to Max's house!" she said in a rush. Alex figured that Liz's adrenaline must be pumping pretty hard cause he was having a hard time keeping up with her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Michael hung up the receiver hard. She still wasn't answering her phone. He then put his head in his hands and sighed.  
  
"Michael it'll be ok. We'll find her. Don't worry we'll think of something. Just try to keep calm."  
  
"Maxwell, I don't think you'd be calm if this happened to Liz so I wouldn't talk. You. Didn't. See. Her." he said stressing every word. "She was shaking in my arms..." Isabel pulled Max aside.  
  
"Max, just leave him alone. He's been through a lot. I don't think your considering what it's like to be in his shoes right now. Just imagine having a dream where Liz was being beat up and scared half to death."  
  
"Ok. Your right Is. If that happened to Liz...if I ever saw her like that..." Max said while looking down. Then he turned to look at Michael who's head was still in his hands. "Michael, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." Then an idea flashed in Max's mind. "Did you ever try calling her cell phone?" Michael instantly looked up and looked at Max and Isabel. Then, he quickly grabbed Max's phone and dialed the number. He let the phone ring and ring. Suddenly, someone came through the window sobbing hysterically. Michael couldn't even tell it was Liz at first. Then Alex came in right behind her.  
"Liz! What happened??" Max said as Liz fell into his arms. You couldn't even understand a word she was saying, she was sobbing so hard. She was hysterical. Michael then hung up the receiver, but didn't hear the person on the other line pick it up. Liz was crying to hard and loud for him to hear.  
  
"He....he....attached us...." Liz said in-between sobs. Max held her tighter.  
  
"Shh...shh...it'll be ok. Just tell us what happened."  
  
"Are you all right Alex??" Isabel said while running to his side while looking very worried and concerned.  
  
"Isabel Evans worried about Alex Charles Whitman?" Then Isabel gave him a look. "Sorry, uh, I'll be fine. Just a little shakened up. My head hurts a bit but I'll be fine."  
  
"Alex! You getting a bump on your head! What the hell happened?" Alex was shocked to see how concerned Isabel was over him. Liz tried to tell them in-between sobs.  
  
"We....we.....wanted to go get a movie. And he.....pulled....me into an...alley."  
  
"And then he threw me against the wall. Which is why my head hurts so much. And I grabbed a trash can lid and hit him over the head with it."  
  
"Did you see who it was?" Michael said, speaking for the first time since they got there. They all seemed kind of shocked to see him actually say anything. They kinda forgot he was there.  
  
"No." Alex said, realizing that Michael was talking to him. "I didn't hit him that hard. Just enough for him to loosen his grip on Liz. Then we just ran. But I turned around right away and he was gone." Alex chuckled slightly. "We probably got here in about a minute. But the thing is. He never touched me, but somehow he threw me against the wall."  
  
"See. I told you this wasn't just a dream! He threw me around too.."  
  
"Max, this is getting serious. First Maria disappears. Now Alex and Liz get attacked? What's going to happen next??" Isabel said very worriedly.  
  
"I don't know. But it's obvious that we can't go anywhere without each other. You guys have to spend the night here. Liz can sleep in Isabel's room and Alex can stay with Michael and me." Max turned to look at Michael. "I don't think any of us should be alone tonight. You better stay with us too." Michael slowly nodded his head. "You guys can borrow some of our clothes to sleep in." Liz nodded her head and wiped her tears with her hand, and went towards Isabel's room to get ready. It had never occurred to any of them that Michael may get another dream.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
"I told you! She's MINE! Get out of here! Or I'll kill you just like I'm going to kill her!" The man said as he punched Michael in the eye. He hit him so hard that he fell down to the ground.  
  
"MICHAEL!" Maria screamed while starting to charge the man with her own vengeance.  
  
"NO! Maria! Don't do anything! He can hit me all he wants. Just as long as he doesn't hurt you!" Maria looked into his eyes, and they both shared a sad, worried look. They were both scared. Scared to death. Mostly for each other and what the man was going to do to them.  
  
"Aw, how very noble of you Michael. But you can't protect her forever. Remember, she's with me while your not sleeping. Oh, the fun we've had together. Isn't that right Maria?"Maria started to back away. She forgot how close she was to the man while running up to help Michael. Michael looked into her eyes and saw that she was crying. He felt terrible. He had to protect her no matter what! How could he go the rest of the day not sleeping now? "But sadly, we can't have you joining our little party. We had others in mind...but they got away. But no, we can't have you ruining the fun. Although this is kind of fun for me..." The man started the think. "No, I'm afraid I'm just going to have to kill you." The man said as he approached Michael who was still on the floor.  
  
"NO! Leave him alone!" Maria said while running up to the man again, hitting him furiously. But the man just chuckled at Maria's attempt to hurt him and he threw her onto the ground also. Then the man kicked Michael hard in the stomach. Michael and Maria looked into each others eyes as they laid on the floor. Maria reached out to him with her arm as the man continued to kick Michael. They both still couldn't tell who the man was. It was always to dark. But never dark enough for them not to see each other. Michael lay there, helpless on the ground as the man continued to kick him in the stomach. He had always taken beatings from Hank. But this man was a lot stronger. It was like he couldn't move. The man saw Maria reaching out to Michael and turned his attention to her. And then Michael reached out to Maria too.  
  
"Aw. How sweet. What did you want some of this too?" He said while kicking her in the stomach. Michael saw the pain on Maria's face. It look excruciating. Suddenly he felt like he could move again. He was after all, raged with fury.  
  
"NO! Leave her alone you son of a bitch!" He said as he lunged for the man, but got thrown back down once again. That was becoming to much of a habit. He didn't realize that he could get any more scared, until the man pulled out a knife.  
  
"Oh, that was a bad idea Michael. I told you to stay out of this and go away. But no! You had to be Mr. Hero. Now your gonna pay." The man started to approach Michael and drew back his knife. While he was about to stab Michael, Maria pushed him so the knife only cut him, instead of being a fatal wound. The knife entered his side slightly. If Maria hadn't pushed him...  
  
Maria pushed him so hard, he fell onto the ground himself too. Michael and Maria quickly held onto each other tightly. It was the first time they had been able to. They looked into each other's eyes again with an intense loving stare. Michael's head turned slightly.  
  
"I hear them. Max. Isabel. They're calling for me. Are they here too?"  
  
"Your leaving me again...they're waking you up." she said sadly.  
"I'll be back. I won't let him hurt you again. Do you hear me? I would die for you. I love you to much."  
  
"I love you." And they hugged each other tightly once more before Michael left, as if they would never be able to hold each other again. "Come back for me. Please." Maria said as a tear went down her cheek."  
  
"Always." And with that, Michael was gone.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
They had all been sleeping soundly after a very long worrisome day. Until that is, Michael started screaming.  
  
"NO! LEAVE HER ALONE!" It scared the shit out of Max. Him and Alex suddenly sat up startled to see Michael on the floor on the other side of Max's bed, screaming bloody murder. He was shaking too. He wouldn't lay still. Michael just kept tossing and turning.  
  
"Oh my God! Max! What are we gonna do?? Look at him!" They both went to Michael's side trying to calm him down.  
  
"Michael! It's Max. Your going to be ok. Snap out of it."  
  
"NO! Maria! Don't do anything! He can hit me all he wants. Just as long as he doesn't hurt you!" Michael screamed. But thankfully not as loud as before. Max and Alex turned their heads to see Isabel and Liz standing in the doorway. Liz had her mouth dropped.  
  
"Oh my God..." she said softly. Her and Isabel quickly joined Max and Alex at Michael's side.  
  
"We can't control him. He won't stop moving."  
  
"What is happening to him?? He's like flinching or something. Is he hitting him??" Isabel said with concern.  
  
"I don't know Is. I just don't know." They looked at Michael reach out his one arm to no one.  
  
"What is he doing Max?" Liz said.  
  
"I don't know. Michael. Snap out of it. It's gonna be ok. Come back to us!"  
  
"NO LEAVE HER ALONE YOU SON OF A BITCH!"  
  
"Woah." Alex said.  
  
"If he keeps that up, he's going to wake up mom and dad!"  
  
"Is he...is he hurting Maria now??" Liz said turning to Alex.  
  
"Oh my God. Guys, he's hurting them. We have to do something!" Isabel said. Michael then winced and touched his side. "Look at his side! Is that blood?!?"  
  
"Alex, go get some towels or something." Alex nodded and left the room. "Isabel, help me with Michael. Michael. It's us. Come back to us."  
  
"Michael I'm really worried. Come back. Please! I don't know what we'd do without you." Michael started to stop moving around so much and began to look somewhat calm. He was waking up. Michael rolled over onto his side and slowly opened his eyes. Yup. He was still in Max's room, away from Maria. Michael suddenly realized how much his stomach hurt. He felt like he was going to puck. That man sure was stronger than Hank was. Then Michael remembered that he tried to stab him. He felt his side and brought his hand up to his face. Blood. He tried to remember what happened. Maria. She pushed him out of the way so he missed. Then he remembered the worst of the dream. Maria. He left Maria with that man. And he said he was going to kill her. To make things worse, he had left her again. Who knows what he'd do to her. Michael then saw everyone's eyes glued onto him.  
  
"Why the hell did you wake me up?!?!?" Max was startled by this. Not expecting Michael to want to stay there.  
  
"You were screaming, and you wouldn't stop moving. I've never seen you like that before. We were all afraid. And you were hurt. We had to get you out of there."  
  
"Great job Maxwell. Did it ever occur to you that I was protecting Maria?? He was hurting her! Who knows what he'll do to her now!" Michael felt a chill go up his spine. "And he had a knife. But it's not like he needs it. Hell, he can throw you across the room like that."  
  
"Well, let us at least fix you up. Your bleeding pretty bad and your eye is starting to get a bruise." Isabel said with care.  
  
"Fine." Max and Isabel started to do their handiwork. Michael didn't care about himself. He was safe. Maria wasn't. "He said he..." Michael let out a sigh. "He said he was going to kill Maria. And me."  
  
"Oh, my God! Max, what are we going to do!?"  
  
"I don't know. We'll think of something. We just have to figure out where she is."  
  
"How are we gonna do that?"  
  
"Isabel could dreamwalk." They all looked at Liz. "She could dreamwalk Maria."  
  
"I can only do it when they're asleep. And I doubt Maria's sleeping right now."  
  
"Then maybe she could go into Michael's dream."  
  
"But what about Isabel?? If Michael can get hurt, Isabel probably would be able too."  
"But Alex, what Liz is saying is that maybe he won't know she's there. I mean, Is, didn't you say one time that you couldn't affect the outcome of the dreams?"  
  
"Yeah, but Max. This isn't a regular dream. Michael and Maria have a connection. It's totally different. We don't know if this guy will know I'm there or not."  
  
"Well, it's up to you Is. Your call." Isabel looked at Michael.  
  
"I'll do it. What else are we going to do?"  
  
"Is, you don't have to do it if you don't want to. It's not exactly fun in there."  
  
"What else are we gonna do? Didn't you say you could barely ever talk to Maria? Then I could talk to her, maybe get her to remember what happened. Something. Anything. That will give us a clue as to where she is."  
  
"Well, don't come in right away. Maybe I can ask her myself. If I start screaming, then you can come in. There's a chance that you may get hurt if you come in. That way, you'll be my back up. But I'm warning you Is, It's not going to be a picnic in there."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Like Michael could fall back asleep after a dream like that. Especially when he wanted to beat the crap out of that man for hitting Maria. And he was afraid for her. He didn't care if he got beat up, it would keep her safe for a longer time. So, that made him want to go to sleep. But it wouldn't be easy. That was quite a disturbing dream. And as soon as he fell asleep, he'd be right back there. But then, he could protect Maria. Michael sighed. The others had left the room so he could try to sleep. Eventually when they thought that he would be asleep, they would come back into the room and watch him. See if he needed Isabel's help. Which he probably would Michael figured. But he couldn't let Isabel get hurt too. He can't protect them both and himself. But Maria came first he decided. Michael started to think about Maria as he drifted off into sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
"Maria? Maria, can you hear me? Where are you?"  
  
"Michael!" Maria ran up to Michael and hugged him tightly, trying to make him stay with her forever. She then joyfully planted kisses everywhere on his face and neck. "You came back for me. You didn't have to but you did."  
  
"Of coarse I did. Did you think I was going to leave you in this horrible place forever? It's not every day that I mee~" Michael couldn't get another word out, Maria stopped him by giving him a long deep kiss. "Maria, as much as I want to kiss you for hours on end, and you know I do, but we don't have much time. Where's Nasedo?"  
  
"Nasedo? Is that who has me? I can never see him close enough. It's always to dark."  
  
"That's what we think anyways. But we could be wrong." Michael noticed her left eye starting to develop a bruise. "Maria." He cupped her face. "Did he do that to you?" She simply nodded and looked down sadly. "Where is he? I'm gonna kill him!"  
  
"I don't know, after you left, he hit me and went away."  
  
"Well, let me try to heal you then."  
  
"No! Don't do anything! Then he'll know you came back for me. And this is all I have to hope for Michael. You coming to visit me in your dreams. He said the more often you come back. The more often, he'll hit me. But it's worth it."  
  
"Does he hurt you all the time?"  
  
"No, not much. But I'm still terrified of him."  
  
"Hey, it'll be ok." Michael said while hugging Maria once again. "We're gonna get you out of here. We're already working on a plan. But Maria. Think. What happened? Where did he take you?"  
  
"I don't know. I was sleeping and...and you came into my room. At least I thought it was you...And he had already tied up my feet and hands. By the time I woke up, I saw you." she said sadly. "And you had a knife and covered up my mouth up with your hand. I tried to get free, I really did. But he got me and took me to wherever we are now."  
  
"That had to be terrible. I'm so sorry Maria."  
  
"No, it was terrible, but I knew it wasn't you. I looked into his eyes and saw nothing. Not my Michael."  
  
"If you didn't know about me, you would never be in this place."  
  
"No, don't say that. You've changed my life forever." Michael gave her a look. "I mean, in a good way. I care about you. Which is why I'm so happy right now in this horrible place. Because your here. But Michael, I have this weird feeling that we've been here before."  
  
"Where we are now?"  
  
"Yeah, like a few months ago or something. Fairly recently. I don't know. It's just some stupid feeling I'm getting right now. This place just seems...familiar. Don't you feel it?" Michael looked around the darkened room and vaguely saw some rafters hanging from the ceiling.  
  
"Yeah. Your right. Don't worry, we'll figure it out."  
  
"I missed you." she said sweetly.  
  
"I missed you too. You have no idea how much I called your house."  
  
"I know, you called me. When he left I found my cell phone. And right when I did, it started ringing. I just knew it was you. Just like I know I've been here before. But you hung up..."  
  
"Oh that's right. Max said that we must have made a..connection when we were together when Liz and Max were getting all those flashes. And I called right when Liz and Alex came in frantically after he attacked them."  
  
"He's after Liz and Alex too? Oh God.."  
  
"Don't worry they're safe. Max and Isabel won't let them out of their sight again. But do you still have your phone?"  
  
"Not anymore." she said sadly. "He realized I found it and he..punished me..and then he took it away."  
  
"Oh, God. Maria. He's never going to hurt you again. I promise." Michael said as he held her tighter.  
  
"Just being here with you makes it all better Michael." They held each other for awhile. Never wanting each other to leave. Maria was afraid he may never come back and then that man may hurt her again. And Michael didn't want to leave, otherwise, Maria would be alone. They just held each other in silence. They could always communicate best when they didn't say anything. They were 'vibrators' after all. Sending vibes to each other. At the same time, Michael and Maria looked up at each other, into each others soulful eyes, and saw that they were both crying.  
  
"Maria..."  
  
"Michael..."  
  
"What if I can't come back? What if the best thing that ever happened to me gets hurt? Or goes away..." he said tenderly while cupping her check gently.  
  
"What if you leave me alone forever? What if I never see you again?" she said while looking into his deep brown eyes. They didn't know the answers to those questions. And frankly, they didn't want to find out. They sat there, looking into each others eyes for a long moment. "Michael...I really don't want to talk about it right now..."  
  
"Me either." Michael and Maria didn't have to say anything else. They knew what each other was thinking. Michael and Maria kissed each other more passionately then they had ever done before. It might be the last time they ever got a chance to be alone together.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
"Look at him Max. He looks so peaceful and happy."  
  
"That's like the total opposite from before." Alex said.  
  
"I guess he doesn't need me for backup. Right Max?" Everyone was crowded around Michael's resting body. He hadn't made much movement the entire time.  
  
"I don't know. He's been dreaming for awhile. Almost and hour now. He was supposed to just pop in and go. Something may have happened. Maybe you should go check it out Is. That is if you still want to go through with this."  
  
"Ok. I'll do it." Isabel said while lying on Max's bed. "But Michael's dreams aren't the easiest to get into."  
  
"I know. I know. We'll pull you out if it starts to look bad. And hey, Is, be careful."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Isabel found herself in a dark mysterious room. She looked around for Michael and Maria, and suddenly they were right in front of her. 'What the?' Isabel found herself saying. It seemed brighter where Michael and Maria were. Not by much, but it was brighter. When Isabel realized what they were doing, she felt terrible to be walking in on them at this beautiful moment. Isabel smiled. No wonder he didn't want to wake up. 'What should I do? Should I just tap Michael on the shoulder or something?' Isabel approached Michael and Maria as they were kissing. 'They look so happy' she thought to herself. 'Michael's gonna kill me...' She continued to approach the kissing couple, still not knowing what to do. But suddenly, she didn't have to do anything because they knew she was there. They felt her presence. Michael and Maria both stopped kissing and turned their heads at the same time to see a fuzzy version of Isabel.  
  
"Uh..Isabel..hi!" Isabel chuckled slightly at the squeakiness in Maria's voice as she said 'hi.'  
  
"Hey Maria...haven't seen much of you recently."  
  
"Let me guess. Max sent you? I don't need backup thank you."  
  
"We were worried, you looked a little too peaceful. And that was the total opposite from before." Maria turned to Michael.  
  
"Peaceful huh?" Isabel looked around the room, trying to figure out where they were. She couldn't see much.  
  
"So, Maria, still think aliens are green and slimy?"  
  
"Ha-ha. Very funny."  
  
"So, Michael, unless you want to spend forever in dreamworld, and not help us actually get Maria back and you can even the score with him yourself, that's just fine."  
  
"I think she's trying to be subtle and tell me to go."  
  
"You think?" Michael looked seriously into her eyes.  
  
"I will be back. Don't worry. We'll get you out of here as soon as possible. Ok? I love you." Michael said before giving her a gentle kiss on the lips.  
  
"I love you." she said, before giving him another longer kiss.  
  
"Ok, you two. Don't get started again. You both can get a room as soon as this is all over with." Maria and Michael broke their kiss, and started to laugh a little. They just looked at each other smiling.  
  
"I'll wait for you. Come soon."  
  
"It's not everyday I meet the girl of my dreams. Hmm..that phrase has a new meaning now." Maria rolled her eyes as she saw Michael and Isabel start to fade away.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Michael and Isabel woke up to find Max, Liz and Alex staring at them. Michael had an unusual smirk to his face Alex decided. He began to wonder what exactly had happened in that dream. Being his subtle self, he brought up his question easily.  
  
"So what happened??"  
  
"Oh, just Michael and Maria making out." Max and Liz had a surprised look on their faces.  
  
"You've got to be kidding me. How the hell did you pull that off with Nasedo there?"  
  
"He was gone. That's what Maria said. Now shut up and leave me alone."  
  
"So, did you figure out what you were supposed to do? Do you actually know where Maria is?"  
  
"She doesn't know. But she said that we've been there before. And the only thing I could make out were some rafters on the ceiling." Then, it hit Michael. "Oh my God. I know where she is."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Everyone piled up into the Jeep after a quick change of clothes. It would be morning soon. This certainly was one long day. The longest day any of them had lived, that was for sure. Max sped the Jeep, while turning corners fast on the streets of Roswell. They had to get Maria out of there before Nasedo or whoever got back. They pulled up near the old Soap Box Factory. Not to close, cause otherwise their cover would be blown.  
It just hit Michael earlier. The old Soap Box Factory of coarse! It was abandoned and out of the way. No one would know that she would be there. Unless they were visiting her in their dreams. He recognized the rafters from that night. No wonder why they felt something about that place. That was the night Michael messed up their relationship at first.  
  
"Does everyone remember the plan if Nasedo shows up?"  
  
"It's not that complicated Max." They ran up to the doors, but they were chained.  
  
"Max, I know she's in there! There's gotta be another way." Michael said while frantically looking for another way in.  
  
"Michael, we can just use our powers."  
  
"But then he'll know we're in there. Look! There's a window." Michael said pointing to a window off to the side of the factory. The window was broken with glass still laying on the ground, but they made it in safely. They all looked around for Maria, but it was dark.  
  
"It's not as dark as it was in the dream, but we can find her. I know we can. I found her once, I'm not going to lose her again." Michael said while searching the area.  
"Maria?? Where are you??"  
  
"Michael! I'm over here!" They heard Maria say in another room of the factory. Michael ran over there as fast as he could. The others were shocked to see him run so fast. They all got to the door where Maria was behind. You could hear her pounding on the door. Michael shocked everyone again to see him unlock the door himself. He was never really good at his powers, but when Maria was involved...  
  
Maria practically leaped into his arms.  
  
"I knew you'd come for me!" she said accompanying his embrace.  
  
"Hurry, we've got to get you out of here." Michael said while now holding her hand, leading her to the window with the others following. But only to see that the window was now fixed and whole.  
  
"Shit. He's back. And he knows we're here." Michael said looking down at Maria while starting to pull her behind him. Then he turned to Max and said, "What are we going to do now?"  
  
"Oh, so good of you to come. Your all here for the party I see." Everyone looked everywhere for where the voice was coming from. It was so dark. They couldn't see where he was.  
  
"Leave them alone Nasedo!" Max called out while stepping in front of Liz, to try to protect her from whatever was going to happen.  
  
"Nasedo? Is that who you think I am?" the man chuckled. "Oh that's original. No, we've met before. I never knew who the aliens were in Roswell. Just that they were in this town. The shooting gave me a few clues, but I wasn't sure if it was true. That was, until you came looking for River Dog." the man said while stepping out of the shadows. The others stood shocked, seeing the man who had tortured Michael and Maria. Someone they thought they trusted. But all along was their enemy.  
  
"It's you!" Liz said from behind Max. Eddie smiled.  
  
"I had been waiting years for you to come out of the pods. I knew that you would come to the reservation, since Nasedo lived there for some time. Yes, I wasn't sure about him either. Until the day of the sweat when he got sick." Eddie said while slowly approaching the group. "He told River Dog, then Atherton. That was foolish, because Atherton was one of us. We were sent here to kill you. Our races were always enemies back at home. Unfortunately, Nasedo saw through the trap and killed Atherton before the plan could be finished. Nasedo disappeared. I tried to find him but I never did. So, I came back to Roswell and kidnapped the one you call Eddie and killed him. I became him then. River Dog, the trusting old fool, told me of the cave. So, all I had to do, was wait for you to come. Made my life a whole lot easier. I've been following you for months. I figured, this would be the perfect time to strike. So I did." Eddie was so close to them. Too close for Michael's liking. He pulled Maria farther behind him.  
  
"Then why did you take Maria?!"  
  
"Oh, she was bait. I knew you were the impulsive one of the group, so if she was the one taken, you would do everything to get her back. Besides, she was feisty. I wanted a challenge. I had to hurt her so you would feel it. That's what the dreams were Michael. All part of my little scheme. I'm so glad you had such a good time during it." Michael glared down at Eddie.  
  
"Don't you ever watch movies? The villains never supposed to tell the heroes the whole plot. It's a death wish!" Maria yelled over Michael's shoulder. Michael grabbed her arm keeping her behind him.  
  
"Oh, still trying to be Mr.Hero Michael? Do you know what I could do to you just like that?" Eddie raised out his arm and threw Michael away from Maria. "See, I can still get to her."  
  
"Michael!" Maria ran to Michael's side helping him up.  
  
"Don't you get it kiddies? There's nothing that you can do to stop me! But first, to take out the humans, they don't have anything to do with this. Besides, I want to have fun with them later." Eddie raised his hand again and threw Liz, Alex, and Maria to the side. They all groaned in pain when they landed. He threw them pretty hard, and fast too. Michael, Isabel, and Max all shared a look. As if they were waiting for something now.  
  
"Two can play at that game! NOW!" Michael said as Max, Isabel, and himself extended their hands out and tried with all their might to hit Eddie with an energy blast. If that's how he wanted to play, they could join him too. Eddie didn't see it coming. Max, Michael and Isabel didn't expect them to hit him that hard. They were a lot more powerful then even they expected. Their energy blast hit Eddie, throwing him into a wall. It looked like he hit his head pretty badly. Liz, Maria, and Alex got off the ground and looked at the aliens, then to Eddie's body on the ground. They all looked at each other for awhile basically saying, 'Now what?' with their eyes.  
  
"Is he..is he dead?" Maria asked, now standing next to Michael. Alex and Liz then moved next to Isabel and Max.  
  
"I...I don't know. Did we hit him that hard?" Michael turned to Maria.  
  
"You stay here." Michael said while approaching Eddie cautiously. His head was bleeding pretty badly. He felt for a pulse, and there was none.  
  
"He's dead." Maria didn't realize that she had been holding her breath when Michael left her side. She breathed again in relief. "Now what?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Maria started to get out of the tub. Her mom still was away, and wouldn't be back till tomorrow. Yesterday, had been the longest day of her life. She couldn't believe it all happened in one day. Today, Liz had graciously given her the day off since she had been through so much. Everyone else took Eddie's body to the morgue and put a 'John Doe' name tag on it. They fixed everything and the body was cremated later that day. She didn't know all the details, since she wasn't there. And today, Maria basically was resting. Max and Isabel had healed her up, even though she wasn't hurt that bad, on the outside. She seriously thought that she would never see Michael again, and that she wasn't going to make it out of there alive. He didn't hurt her on the outside much, but he scared the shit out of her. It would take a little bit to heal on the inside, and to tell herself that yes, everything was ok and she should stop worrying. So, tonight she had taken a long bubble bath with her aromatherapy scents of coarse. The scent of lavender always made her relax. Maria dried off and put on her bathrobe, and started to go into her room which clutching a copy of "Ulysses."  
  
She bought it after that trip to Marathon. Maria figured it wouldn't hurt her to understand Michael a little better. Maria then changed into her pajamas and thought how nice it sounded to be able to sleep in her bed where she was safe. But that's where he came after her. How safe was she here? And her mom was gone still...Would things ever be ok again? These were the worries that plagued Maria. Maria then heard a noise coming from outside her window. She held up her book as a weapon as she crept to the side of her window. As the person was trying to climb in, Maria hit them over the head with the book.  
  
"Ow!" Michael said while falling slightly to the floor. "What did you do that for??" Maria sighed realizing that it was just Michael and turned on the lights.  
  
"Well, normal people don't go creeping into other peoples rooms! It's called..breaking an entering. What are you trying to go back to your criminal ways??"  
  
"I just wanted to see you ok?!" Michael said while getting up.  
  
"Well..it's called a door! Besides..it's really late! And what do you expect me to do when someone tries to get in my room at odd hours of the night?!" Maria said while waving around her book with her hands.  
  
"Nice book." Michael said while sitting down on her bed. Maria quickly put the book behind her back.  
  
"No, your not staying here! Why are you sitting down? I don't think my mom would appreciate you being here when she gets home considering what happened the last time!"  
  
"Whether you like it or not. I am staying here." He said while taking off his jacket.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because your here all alone and I don't want anything to happen to you ever again." Michael's words were kinder and caring. Not what Maria was expecting after their friendly banter.  
  
"Oh." Maria simply said. She really didn't see that coming. Maria sat down next to him on the bed.  
  
"I just..." Michael started to say while looking down. "I just care about you to much." His last words were said while he looked into her eyes. "You are the best thing that ever happened to me. How could I leave you here all alone?" Michael said tenderly. Maria and Michael brought their heads closer to one another slowly before giving each other a long gentle kiss. Maria thought to herself in her head, 'Yeah, I guess things are going to be ok here from now on.'  
  
The End  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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